New Ways to Get Smooth Skin

The top alternatives to shaving might come as a surprise to you. That’s because we’re not used to thinking about shaving, well, at all. It’s just something you do. You don’t actually put much thought into it. Hopefully that will change the way you think about shaving and how to get smooth skin.

Top Alternatives to Shaving

Shaving can be a giant pain (literally), so we’re looking at some of the top alternatives to shaving. Because the fact of the matter is that, at least in the informal survey I’ve conducted (you know, talking to people I know), nobody likes shaving. That goes for men and women—but women have significantly more surface area to cover.

The Top Alternatives to Shaving

And, frankly, if men want to stop shaving and grow out their facial hair, there’s not much in the way of stopping them. Historically, well groomed beards were a sign of success and prowess. These days, beards don’t carry quite as much prestige, but they also don’t really carry much of a stigma.

Which means that the primary benefactor of these alternatives to shaving will be women. Again, that has more to do with a combination of surface area to shave and social stigmas than anything else. So let’s take a look at some ways that women might have it a little bit easier thanks to these alternatives.

Alternative #1: Laser Hair Removal

It’s true that waxing will get you a superior result to shaving. But I can’t really talk about waxing as an alternative because, frankly—it’s quite painful and time consuming. Instead, if you want smooth results in a way that actually saves time and increases comfort, you might want to consider laser hair removal.

During this procedure, a specifically designed laser will target the part of your hair that controls growth and eliminate it. Basically, the pigment in the hair absorbs the laser, which causes enough damage to inhibit further growth. The major benefit of laser hair removal is this: you get smooth skin and it’s often effectively permanent. This means you’ll never have to shave again (at least in the treated area).

However, there are some factors to consider as you think about signing up:

Laser hair removal works best on people who have dark hair and lighter skin. However, that’s not a universal rule, and your cosmetic surgeon will be able to tell you how effective it might be for you.

In order to get the best possible effect, laser hair removal may require up to four sessions. That’s because your hair typically grows in shifts.

Results will vary. Sometimes it might be permanent and sometimes it won’t be. It works for most patients, but not for everybody.

Laser hair removal is particularly good when it comes to accuracy. This procedure will be able to accurately target specific areas.

Alternative #2: Nair

It’s one of those products that has been around for a long, long time. Nair is probably familiar to many of the people reading this article. But Nair is not quite as well known in terms of how well it works and what the drawbacks might be. Essentially, Nair (and products like it) use a various chemical cocktail to break down the bonds of your hair—thus, separating the hair from your body.

It’s worth pointing out that Nair doesn’t get universally positive reviews. As it’s a product in a bottle (essentially), Nair is difficult to calibrate to every single individual, though they do offer a wide variety of formulations. Essentially, what Nair comes down to is this: it works for some people and it doesn’t work for others.

Nair is also somewhat notorious for occasionally causing a bad reaction. Some people have reported burns due to the strength of the chemicals. So it’s a good idea to test it out on a small scale before, say, slathering your legs with it. And, of course, it’s a good idea to store your Nair somewhere far away from your Shampoo bottle.

Alternative #3: Let Your Hair Grow

There are instances throughout history in which smooth skin has been a big thing. It’s not an aesthetic that is exclusive to the invention of the razor. That said, there are certainly some interesting developments in the last hundred years or so, particularly when it comes to women’s legs.

Indeed, the shaving of women’s legs wasn’t particularly popular until during the second World War. Nylon was in short supply, as it was needed for the war effort. And razor companies noticed their sales dropping because their main audience—men—was headed off to war. By emphasizing the appeal of smooth, shaved legs, the razor companies scored a huge win.

Which is a long of way of saying that smooth legs are not some kind of biological priority. You can certainly just opt out of the particular social arrangement. Of course, there are social consequences to that type of decision—but it is an option for some people.

It’s Your Hair—and Your Decision

There are certain advantages and disadvantages to any course of action you might take. And that’s why it’s important to emphasize that this is, after all, your decision. It’s your hair, and you get to decide what happens to it!

But it’s certainly worth mentioning that there are other options. Many times, shaving is kind of the default. So we tend not to think about any alternatives until they’re brought to our attention—until we’re out of our bubble. Hopefully these three shaving alternatives will help burst your bubble in the best possible way.

Now that you know there are alternatives to shaving, you can start looking into them and find out which is best for you!